Ergo scoops top IT services provider award – Sunday Business Post
Winning the coveted Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award seals Ergo’s reputation as the ‘partner of choice’ for Irish businesses, at a time when IT solutions are more valued than ever
When Microsoft announced that Ergo was the recipient of the 2020 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award, the Irish IT services provider found itself in the unique position of winning the prestigious accolade for the fifth time in a decade. For company co-founder and Chief Executive, John Purdy, it is a significant milestone that sends a clear message to prospective customers.
“We always believed that our performance, expertise and technical capabilities put Ergo head and shoulders above every other service provider in the Irish market; winning the highest award from Microsoft for the fifth time, validates that belief,” he said. “In the last 12 months, we have been through an incredible journey to achieve market-leading maturity in Microsoft technologies, so it’s a welcomed acknowledgement of a lot of hard work.”
Microsoft is recognized as a leader in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants, the analyst’s sought-after measure of vendor capabilities in the tech sector, and most organizations in Ireland will depend on some element of Microsoft software or services to run their businesses. The annual Country Partner award shines a light on Ergo’s competencies, not just in deployment but also in the innovation and implementation processes wrapped around the technologies.
Aisling Curtis, Commercial Director at Microsoft Ireland, acknowledged this. “Once again Ergo has demonstrated an outstanding ability to implement and support Microsoft technologies, and just as importantly, the skills to innovate around them to meet the different business requirements of our shared clients,” she said.
John Purdy believes the fifth win is the most significant, because of the role technology will be asked to play by businesses as they face into another recession. “They are experiencing unprecedented uncertainty and need to build agility and resilience into their systems to make them less vulnerable to disruption. Many will have learned hard lessons from the current crisis and need to rethink their business models,” he said. “I have no doubt that the technical skills and competencies that helped Ergo win this award will much be in demand over the next decade.”
Depth and breadth of capabilities
The Microsoft judges were impressed by many aspects of Ergo’s Microsoft practice, including the consistent upskilling of its people in competencies that enable them to take on the most complex and challenging IT projects. Customer feedback was also evaluated and there were strong endorsements of work carried out, particularly at the discovery phase where projects are scoped and business outcomes agreed.
Another part of the delivery process that set Ergo apart from competitors is its focus on change management and bringing employees along on digital transformation journeys. Ergo allocates a lot of time and resources on culture change, using training workshops and educational messaging to break down barriers around user adoption that can undermine the success of IT projects. “If people aren’t using the products and services we implement for clients, we would regard it as a failure which is why we never let it happen,” said Purdy.
On the more technical side, Ergo is also establishing a lead over other partners. Before the Country Partner award was announced, Microsoft had endorsed Ergo as its partner of choice in Ireland after they fulfilled rigorous and independent certification processes to develop the most effective and successful delivery models for Azure Migration Services and Microsoft 365. The accreditations demonstrate deep knowledge, extensive experience, and proven success in helping customers move to the Microsoft cloud.
“There is no doubt that cloud is the direction of travel for most businesses, particularly after lockdown highlighted the value of providing services that could be easily accessed remotely,” said Steve Blanche, Chief Technology Officer at Ergo. “I understand we’re now part of an elite group of only three Microsoft partners worldwide that hold two Azure Advanced Specializations.”
Cloud specialist credentials
Certified as an Azure Migration Expert under the Azure Migration Program (AMP), Ergo has achieved advanced specializations in ‘Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure’ and ‘Modernization of Web Applications to Microsoft Azure’. Ergo is also the only partner in Ireland to achieve Microsoft 365 FastTrack-ready status, which means customers are in the best-possible hands to accelerate the deployment and end-user adoption of Microsoft 365.
“The Azure specializations demonstrate the completeness of Ergo’s methodology under the scrutiny of a rigorous and independent audit,” said Blanche. “It demonstrates a depth and capability that encompasses people, processes and technology to deliver consistency and uniformity in accordance with the Microsoft Cloud Adoption Framework. In layman’s terms, it’s a checkbox of skills that mitigates the risks around moving to the cloud.”
The Windows Server and SQL Server Migration specialization applies a framework for moving workloads to the cloud that covers governance, architecture decisions, networking and security, and uses automated tools for assessment and delivery. The Modernization of Web Applications to Microsoft Azure specialization applies robust configuration and security practices and leverages new cloud platform services like DevOps, serverless architecture and containerization to deliver optimized application services.
Ergo has always excelled in matching technology to business needs and has been helping organizations to achieve their strategic goals for over 27 years. The Country Partner Award and the latest certifications are evidence that Ergo’s team of 400 IT professionals continue to lead from the front.
Helping businesses thrive through Covid
Ergo has been busy helping organizations survive and thrive during lockdown and beyond, providing a range of solutions to accelerate remote working. When Covid-19 struck, Ergo project teams developed agile deployment programmes to get businesses up and running faster. Among them was the Microsoft Teams Rapid Enablement and Adoption Service, enabling accelerated access to the communications and collaboration application that has become fundamental to new ways of working for many firms over the last four months.
More recently, Ergo’s software development team built a Return to Work solution. The user-friendly app includes a pre-return to work form, a desk-booking system, contact tracing and an induction training programme that staff must undertake before returning to the office to ensure they are compliant with the latest Government guidelines.
Ergo has also deployed Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) for a number of clients, giving home workers secure access to core business applications to drive productivity. Built on Microsoft Azure, WVD provides a multi-session Windows 10 experience that is secure, cost-effective and easy to manage. “All the solutions we have deployed during Covid have needed fast implementation to get clients out of a hole, but they are enterprise-class and never compromise on security or performance,” explained Steve Blanche.
Throughout the pandemic Ergo has been running a webinar series, ‘Minimizing the Business Impact of Covid-19’.
